BPP Should Publish Its Rates The attention of the Honorable Minister of Works and Housing has been drawn to headlines from reports credited to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) about its having “...saved over N26 billion...” for the Federal Government in the year 2018 by revising down “inflated” contract sums by Government Contractors some of which emanated from the erstwhile Ministry of Power Works and Housing. Being a department of the same Government, ordinarily this should not warrant a reply; however the misleading nature of the Reporting in the media and the statements credited to BPP compel a response for the purposes of clarification and enlightenment of the public. Any person who takes time to read the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, which created the BPP will understand that no contract can be awarded until BPP certifies that it has NO OBJECTION. Therefore there was no INFLATED contract because BPP clearly stated that it reduced the costs, and according to BPP she “… saved over N26 Billion…” And this is the heart of the matter, because BPP’s “ savings” can only be a SUBJECTIVE assessment based on rates quoted by contractors, reviewed by the Ministry , and sent to BPP for certification. Until BPP publishes its rates which the then Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has demanded in writing, there can be no OBJECTIVE basis for determining whether any SAVINGS  were indeed made if only BPP knows its own Rates for procurement. Once rates are published and design is known, quantities can be ascertained and costs can be determined. This is the field of Quantity Surveyors and Construction Economists, and the Minister of Works and Housing has not made any secret about his call for a revision of the Public Procurement Act to resolve this and other gaps in the Law. Indeed, during the first term of this Administration, the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing had commissioned the compilation of a service wide Rate of major items of procurement from the largest to the smallest for BPP to consider, adopt or amend and publish. This is the type of Reform that the Minister advocates and welcomes to improve uniformity, Transparency, Accountability and value for money in public procurement. ...

FG To Operationalize Weighbridges The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Ragi Fashola SAN has disclosed that the first set of weigh bridges will be rolled out across the Country to protect Nigerian roads by guarding against excess cargo weights.. The Minister made this disclosure when he received the Board members of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency,(FERMA) led by its Chairman, Mr Babatunde Lemo in his office. While acknowledging FERMA’s mandate to maintain roads, Fashola urged them to pay more attention to the protection of road while carrying out the maintenance. He warned road users against willful damage of roads through overloading. He also said thatonce the weigh bridges were in place, excess loads would be offloaded and owners surcharged. He noted that the country was at the peak of the raining season where the roads were prone to damages. The Minister explained that, the consequences of bad weather were harmful to every country's infrastructure architecture leaving behind devastating effectsand assured that the government was aware of these challenges and responding to them, even though the rains have slowed down activities in the construction sector generally. While urging FERMA to collaborate more with the Federal Controllers of Works in the state to improve the quality of Nigerian roads, he also promised to empower the Controllers to take ownership and full responsibility of the Ministry's strategy of road protection to secure lives and properties, adding that FERMA should leverage on the wealth of experience of these controllers in road repairs and maintenance. In the words of Fashola, "Maintenance of highways is very crucial to government, as this would facilitate economic growth and job creation. FERMA is an important component of the government strategy for maintaining the road network". Earlier, the FERMA Board Chairman, Mr  Babatunde Lemo assured the Minister of the Board’s continuing partnership and collaboration with the Ministry to attain its objective He requested the Ministry to factor in the Agency's role in all road investments, stressing the need for the Ministry's continuous support in ensuring adequate appropriations and budget releases from time to time. Among the team from the Ministry that received the Governing Board Members were: the Minister of State Works and Housing, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, the Permanent Secretary Alhaji Mohammad Bukar as well as the management staff of the Ministry. ...

Fashola Warns Against Use Of Fake Facebook Account In His Name …Urges members of the public not to fall victim of the antics of scammers The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, has again disclaimed as fake a Facebook account set up in his name alongside his picture warning members of the public against being deceived by dupes and scammers. Fashola, who on several occasions in the past disclaimed such fake accounts, reiterated that his verified Facebook account remains @BABATUNDEFASHOLA. With several reported and deleted in the past , the latest addition to the fake accounts set up in the former Lagos State Governor’s name along with his picture reads “FasholaRajiFashola” and the scammers wrote that the Federal Government was giving out the sum of N700,000 to youths and young adults to enable them pay school fees, set up businesses and invest in businesses, among others. Part of the publication written in very poor English by the scammers read, “All the Nigeria Citozings of All the and Local Government in Nigeria Are Beneficiary of the Federal Government Money Enpwoerment to Empower the Youth to Pay There School.  Adult to do Business Etc. Contact Number 09035339533). Good News…To All Nigeria Youth and Adult… Federal Government is Giving Out N700,000 Free Cash Transfer To All To Empower the Youth Further Their Educations, Open Good Business and Learn Good Works. Call Mr. Adebayo Kola , the Federal Government Cashier on 09035339533. All the Nigerian Citizens of All the States and Local Governments …” According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Hakeem Bello, the Minister described as unfortunate the fact that despite repeated warnings and disclaimers, certain unscrupulous elements still engage in the act of defrauding unsuspecting members of the public through different social media platforms falsely linked to him. The call, he said, coming perhaps for the umpteenth time, had become necessary in view of the increasing activities of the scammers . Advising members of the public to always clarify with the appropriate agencies of government at all levels before engaging in any dealings with people purportedly working for them, the statement urged people to report to the law enforcement agencies so that those involved in the nefarious acts could be brought to justice. ...